1. Strategic Plan for the Promotion of Professional Services Exports in Barbados – Education Services Sunil Sinha Technical Director Emerging Market Economics December 2006

2. Overview Strong international demand:  Worldwide market for education exports is ~US$30 billion; global market for education services projected to triple over next 20 years  Number of students in formal education abroad topped 2 million in 2002  About 1.3 million students study English as a foreign language abroad annually Market segments most relevant for Barbados are:  English Language Training (ELT)  Medical Training  Vocational/specialist Skills Training

3. Market Sectors ELT  Range of courses including business- oriented programmes, multi-year programmes, 6-8 week summer courses, integrated tourism/training Vocational/Specialist Skills Training  Wide variety of courses/qualifications on offer; computer software and hardware, business and clerical courses, vocational

4. International Trends ELT  Continued increase in demand for ELT, particularly from Asia  Trend for universities/training centres to set up centres in low-cost locations Vocational/Specialist Skills Training  Increasing range of technology and applications in knowledge-based economies increases demand for specialised skills

5. Local Capability  Good educational infrastructure in place for ELT, vocational training and graduate programmes - quality education across a range of subjects  Paramedic (1 year) and EMT (6 weeks) training at Community College, Barbados leads region in this field Offers  ELT is cost competitive

6. Target Markets ELT  Two-thirds of international students are from Asia (China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan); Europe (Italy, Russia) and Latin America (Brazil) are next largest sources. Brazil is major market on door step. Vocational/Specialist Skills Training  CSME lacks quality technical and vocational education driven by industry needs

7. Market Positioning ELT  Offering quality courses in English-speaking, crime free country with few visa restrictions, lower cost than US, international students often associate reputation of Universities with quality of education on offer, need to raise profile of University  Attract disaffected US companies with strong market base Technical and Vocational Education  High cost for region limits intra-regional demand, need to be specialised to attract regional students

8. Marketing Activities – Brand Awareness Objective: Raise overall international profile of Barbados as centre for quality education  Study in Barbados’ Website: Increase awareness of Barbados education “brand”; provide useful country-level information for potential students to encourage them to choose Barbados  ‘Study in Barbados’ Advertising: Directed at potential students. Periodicals, brochures to be distributed at education fairs, embassies, etc. Reach students who might not come across website  Raise Int’l Profile of University: Would boost profile of overall industry. Strategic alliances, partial scholarships for few top foreign students

9. Marketing Activities – Direct Marketing Objective: Increase applications from foreign students  Education Fairs: Especially important in Latin America and Asia. Small ‘Study in Barbados’ delegation should attend major fairs, promoting industry as whole  Education Agents: Especially important in China; developing relationships with reputable agents will increase quality as well as quantity of applications; discuss w/ British Council; conduct fam. trips  Using Foreign Students: Train to promote Barbados once they return home  To Foreign Students in Barbados: Transition students into higher-level programmes to increase length of stay, value-added; easy visa extensions important

10. Enabling Environment Objective: Address local factors constraining growth  Partnerships and Coordination: Between University, Community College and private providers on marketing and joint product offerings; coordinate on fairs, agents and cross- marketing to each other’s students  Work Permits: More countries doing this, attracts more students, maybe higher quality students  Visa Issues: Continue to improve application process, perhaps need for TA from British on design/implementation of student visa scheme and/or evaluating applications  Business Environment/Support: Launch programme to look at ways to improve access to finance for SMEs, ease of permit/planning process, assist with marketing, provide market information  Accreditation: Work towards accreditation system

11. Thank you